WotC Dragonlance: Everything You Need For Shadow of the Dragon Queen

WotC has shared a video explaining the Dragonlance setting, and what to expect when it is released in December.

World at War: Introduces war as a genre of play to fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons.

Dragonlance: Introduces the Dragonlance setting with a focus on the War of the Lance and an overview of what players and DMs need to run adventures during this world spanning conflict.

Heroes of War: Provides character creation rules highlighting core elements of the Dragonlance setting, including the kender race and new backgrounds for the Knight of Solamnia and Mage of High Sorcery magic-users. Also introduces the Lunar Sorcery sorcerer subclass with new spells that bind your character to Krynn's three mystical moons and imbues you with lunar magic.

Villains: Pits heroes against the infamous death knight Lord Soth and his army of draconians.

Notes --

• 224 page hardcover adventure
• D&D's setting for war
• Set in eastern Solamnia
• War is represented by context -- it's not goblins attacking the village, but evil forces; refugees, rumours
• You can play anything from D&D - clerics included, although many classic D&D elements have been forgotten
• Introductory scenarios bring you up to speed on the world so no prior research needed

 

[Hussar]

As far a similarities go, well, there's something to be said for Dragonlance to be at least a smidgeon derivative. At the very least, you could say that the LotR inspired a lot of Dragonlance. Group of disparate people band together to fight a big bad evil, traveling all over the land, uniting the peoples. Dwarves and elves don't like each other. Humans are the most numerous. Mad king has to be saved by the protagonists. So on and so forth. It's not a terribly huge stretch to see some reflections between the works.

Which, frankly, is totally understandable given the amount of Tolkien DNA there is in D&D. It would have been very difficult to have an epic fantasy storyline, written in the early 80's, that wasn't going to draw on a lot of the same well as Tolkien. Right down to including songs and poetry.

Not that this is a bad thing. It's absolutely not. But, in light of that, decisions like how to change halflings and not including orcs do make a lot more sense when you figure that the developers are at least trying to force some distance between DL and LotR.

 

[GreyLord]

They aren't tiny details. It's the difference between a tugboat and the Titanic. You want to call them boats and say, "Look boats aren't unique." while ignoring the fact that there are worlds of difference between the two types. A setting with tugboats is not the same as a setting with Titanics.

No. The Tolkien elves are radically different from D&D elves. Further, they objectively do not have the same function or purpose. Tolkien's elves were the first born, granted all the best physical and mental gifts. Perfection. Except for the fact that they were terribly flawed. Their purpose was to serve as the flawed perfection that failed, while the outwardly flawed men saved the world and inherited it.

The purpose of D&D elves is to be another fairly weak race of mostly human non-humans with pointy ears.

And neither are things that I've claimed. I'm very straightforward. Discuss what I'm saying and try not to look for deeper meaning or ulterior motives. Those don't exist.

Today...you are right. D&D elves are just humans with pointy ears. Orcs are just Humans with pointy teeth.

It's a shame.

Originally, I'd say D&D elves had a LOT in similarities with Tolkien elves. They were supposed to be radically different than humans. This wasn't just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. They had different aspects to them which is where they were resistant to charm and sleep in a natural manner. They might have lived forever in comparison to humans. However, as written, they also didn't have the attention span to focus like humans did, their entire emotional state was different. They could be the most powerful beings collectively (a bunch of fighter/magic-users) doing things no human could do, and yet, they were restricted in how far they could actually advance (level limits, and quite low comparatively to what people think of today in some aspects).

So originally, just like hobbits....er...halflings (look up the connection, it's not that hidden, in fact it was blatantly obvious at first), Ents...er...treants... and other things...elves and dwarves were definitely influenced by Tolkien in the TSR days.

Not so much with WotC...but the way people actually played them (humans that look a little different) instead of how they were originally meant to be played changed that over the years with TSR D&D as well. (And, one can look solidly at Dragonlance for examples of this where Elves acted more like humans that look a little different rather than alien creatures of a different psychology).

So today, I grant you that this is absolutely the case, elves and other races are little more than humans with slightly different looks.

But originally...it's more like Elric's as a being in comparison to humans if we are going for something different than Tolkien than anything...humanlike.

 

[Pentallion]

Am I the only person who thinks stopping play mid-session to setup a board game sounds like an awful idea?

Yes. Well, maybe not the only one, but I am only buying this BECAUSE they integrate the board game.
Really looking forward to seeing how that works

 

[Maxperson]

Today...you are right. D&D elves are just humans with pointy ears. Orcs are just Humans with pointy teeth.

It's a shame.

Originally, I'd say D&D elves had a LOT in similarities with Tolkien elves. They were supposed to be radically different than humans. This wasn't just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. They had different aspects to them which is where they were resistant to charm and sleep in a natural manner. They might have lived forever in comparison to humans. However, as written, they also didn't have the attention span to focus like humans did, their entire emotional state was different. They could be the most powerful beings collectively (a bunch of fighter/magic-users) doing things no human could do, and yet, they were restricted in how far they could actually advance (level limits, and quite low comparatively to what people think of today in some aspects).

So originally, just like hobbits....er...halflings (look up the connection, it's not that hidden, in fact it was blatantly obvious at first), Ents...er...treants... and other things...elves and dwarves were definitely influenced by Tolkien in the TSR days.

Not so much with WotC...but the way people actually played them (humans that look a little different) instead of how they were originally meant to be played changed that over the years with TSR D&D as well. (And, one can look solidly at Dragonlance for examples of this where Elves acted more like humans that look a little different rather than alien creatures of a different psychology).

So today, I grant you that this is absolutely the case, elves and other races are little more than humans with slightly different looks.

But originally...it's more like Elric's as a being in comparison to humans if we are going for something different than Tolkien than anything...humanlike.

I agree that elves are less now than they were in 1e D&D, but they were never Tolkien elves or even close to it.

Tolkien elves lived forever unless killed or they lost the will. D&D elves die of old age.
Tolkien elves have telepathy. D&D elves do not.
Tolkien elves can see in the dark. D&D elves(1e) cannot.
Tolkien elves didn't have infravision. D&D elves did.
Tolkien elves had no great resistance to charm or sleep. D&D elves did.
Tolkien elves would have a minimum of 22+ dex under the 1e system. D&D elves got +1 dex.
Tolkien elves had great endurance. D&D elves had a con penalty.
Tolkien elves had an innate constant pass without trace. D&D elves did not.
Tolkien elves had songs of power and healing. D&D elves not even close.
Tolkien elves had no flashy magic and didn't hurl fire. D&D elves had spells that were flashy, including hurling fire.
Tolkien elves were innately supernatural/angelic. D&D elves were not.
Tolkien elves could cast their vision very far away. D&D elves nope.
Tolkien elves had very keen hearing. D&D elves nope.
Tolkien elves had visions/foresight of the future. D&D elves again nope.
Tolkien elves were 6+ feet tall. D&D elves were very short.
Tolkien elves were very smart and wise(int and wis bonuses). D&D elves did not get those.
Tolkien elves were immune to sickness and disease. D&D elves suffered from both.
Tolkien elves were resistant to injury. D&D elves not so much.
Tolkien elves healed swiftly(fast healing) from the injuries they did receive. D&D elves did not.
Tolkien elves were resistant to natural elements. D&D elves were not.
Tolkien elves were resistant to the corruption of evil. D&D elves were not.

Tolkien elves and D&D elves have little in common other than the name and that Gygax got the inspiration for D&D elves from Tolkien.

 

[AnotherGuy]

What's the core of Dragonlance? What really makes it special?

Given this question, are you saying that playing in FR is similar to playing in DL? There are no distinct features that allow you to immerse within the DL setting. And if not as a player, then is it fair to say as a DM you would struggle to make DL stand out differently to other settings?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Again fair enough. I did play DL more than a few times but always as the heroes of the lance (whether as the pregens or our own characters).

I’m not interested in playing in Dragonlance as just a game world. Not what I want. Like I said, I have zero interest in a Star Wars game where you aren’t directly defeating the empire.

Totally understand that I’m out of step here. That’s fine. Maybe catch it the next time around.

I have no issue being the NEXT great heroes if the heroes of the lance are history... but they have to be history not "over there saving the world while you do minor things"

 

[GMforPowergamers]

::sigh::

A pebble is a rock and a mountain is a rock. The details don't matter!

didn't you argue that greyhawk and Forgotten Realms and even Darksun would all be the same if we let players play any race they want? I mean didn't you skip A LOT of detail to do that...

Tolken elves are beutiful and graceful and good at magic and good in the woods and can precive well. They are long lived and can reproduce with humans making half elves.

D&D elves are beautiful and graceful and good at magic and good in the woods and perceive well. They are long lived and can reproduce with humans making half elves.

 

[Velderan]

didn't you argue that greyhawk and Forgotten Realms and even Darksun would all be the same if we let players play any race they want? I mean didn't you skip A LOT of detail to do that...

I think the argument is more along the lines of DL would be too much like FR if you allowed players to play a race that actually came from the FR, which wouldn't be the same as saying that race is native to Krynn and here's how it's different there.

I don't know that I entirely agree, just saying that's how I'm reading that side of the debate. @Maxperson can correct me if I'm getting their point wrong. I may be missing something 47 pages into this. lol

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I think the argument is more along the lines of DL would be too much like FR if you allowed players to play a race that actually came from the FR, which wouldn't be the same as saying that race is native to Krynn and here's how it's different there.

I don't know that I entirely agree, just saying that's how I'm reading that side of the debate. @Maxperson can correct me if I'm getting their point wrong. I may be missing something 47 pages into this. lol

it just seems odd to me that not only the same person but in the same argument you have to disregard lots of details for a broad look, and the next you have to hyper focus on details (in some cases though disregarding flavor text from one that DOES line up with flavor text from the other but no mechanic support). It almost seems like the argument changes in what ever way best benefits the argument.

 

[Remathilis]

I think the argument is more along the lines of DL would be too much like FR if you allowed players to play a race that actually came from the FR, which wouldn't be the same as saying that race is native to Krynn and here's how it's different there.

I don't know that I entirely agree, just saying that's how I'm reading that side of the debate. @Maxperson can correct me if I'm getting their point wrong. I may be missing something 47 pages into this. lol

I'm pretty sure his argument was that allowing everything makes a setting a kitchen sink and that all kitchen sink settings are virtually indistinguishable from the Forgotten Realms. Ie Golarion, Exandria, Oerth, Eberron, all exactly the same as Faerun. And all that is saving Krynn from being the Forgotten Realms is that it doesn't have orcs.